http://www.gmanews.tv/story/151827/Malaysia-police-fire-tear-gas-at-language-protesters
Malaysia police fire tear gas at language protesters
03/07/2009 | 09:37 PM
The demonstrators sought to submit a petition to the country's king to demand that the national Malay language be reinstated in schools for the two subjects – a sensitive issue for the ethnic Malay majority.
Many Malay teachers and linguists complain that a six-year-old policy of using English has hurt efforts to modernize their mother tongue and to develop a scientific lexicon in Malay.
The protesters marched through busy traffic, chanting "Long live the Malay language!" for about half an hour after gathering at Kuala Lumpur's main mosque. Police then fired several rounds of tear gas, causing them to scatter.
Authorities warned people earlier this week not to attend the demonstration, saying organizers had not obtained a necessary police permit to hold a public rally.
The Star newspaper reported on its Web site that police detained 124 protesters.
National police chief Musa Hassan told The Star that authorities "had no choice but to use tear gas to disperse the crowd who refused to listen to police warnings."
English was once the medium of instruction in most schools in Malaysia, a former British colony. Nationalist leaders reversed the policy and made Malay the main medium of instruction less than two decades after independence in 1957.
In 2003, believing that poor English-language skills were undermining Malaysian students, authorities started a program to resume teaching math and science in English. Other subjects continued to be taught in Malay.
The government began a review to gauge the policy's success last year. But protracted discussions with teachers, parents and political activists have so far achieved no clear solution.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said late Friday that mastering foreign languages is a beneficial skill that should not be misconstrued "as negating the importance of the Malay language itself." - AP
Malaysia police fire tear gas at language protesters
03/07/2009 | 09:37 PM
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Riot police fired tear gas to disperse more than 2,000 Malaysians who tried to march to the national palace Saturday to protest the use of English to teach math and science.The demonstrators sought to submit a petition to the country's king to demand that the national Malay language be reinstated in schools for the two subjects – a sensitive issue for the ethnic Malay majority.
Many Malay teachers and linguists complain that a six-year-old policy of using English has hurt efforts to modernize their mother tongue and to develop a scientific lexicon in Malay.
The protesters marched through busy traffic, chanting "Long live the Malay language!" for about half an hour after gathering at Kuala Lumpur's main mosque. Police then fired several rounds of tear gas, causing them to scatter.
Authorities warned people earlier this week not to attend the demonstration, saying organizers had not obtained a necessary police permit to hold a public rally.
The Star newspaper reported on its Web site that police detained 124 protesters.
National police chief Musa Hassan told The Star that authorities "had no choice but to use tear gas to disperse the crowd who refused to listen to police warnings."
English was once the medium of instruction in most schools in Malaysia, a former British colony. Nationalist leaders reversed the policy and made Malay the main medium of instruction less than two decades after independence in 1957.
In 2003, believing that poor English-language skills were undermining Malaysian students, authorities started a program to resume teaching math and science in English. Other subjects continued to be taught in Malay.
The government began a review to gauge the policy's success last year. But protracted discussions with teachers, parents and political activists have so far achieved no clear solution.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said late Friday that mastering foreign languages is a beneficial skill that should not be misconstrued "as negating the importance of the Malay language itself." - AP
